As a Mitchellville native who played for a youth club in Bethesda, attended DeMatha Catholic High School and logged four years at the University of Maryland, Chris Odoi-Atsem represents a pure product of the local soccer scene.

Having signed with United earlier this month from German club Hoffenheim, the Lancaster, Pennsylvania, native has started the past two MLS matches -- both victories as coach Ben Olsen's team snapped an 0-8-1 skid.

For a last-place club mired in an 0-6-1 skid, the unveiling of playmaker Zoltan Stieber, defensive midfielder Russell Canouse, forward Bruno Miranda and winger Paul Arriola offers a silver lining to a seemingly lost season.

In an effort to dig itself out of the MLS Eastern Conference cellar, D.C. United announced the signing of Paul Arriola on Thursday, the club breaking its transfer fee record to acquire the U.S. national team midfielder.

Three consecutive trips to the playoffs have seen Olsen's squad enjoy status as a perennial contender in recent years. But he hasn't forgotten the 2013 campaign, when the club tied a record for MLS futility with three wins in 34 matches. So with United off to an 0-2-1 start, Olsen is keeping the skid in perspective.

David Villa scored two goals and NYCFC newcomers Rodney Wallace and Maxi Moralez added one each in a 4-0 victory that overshadowed the MLS debut of 2016 Hermann Trophy winner Ian Harkes for D.C. United on Sunday.

Talk of building a permanent home for D.C. United has surrounded the club since Ben Olsen broke through as a frenetic rookie in 1998. For nearly two decades, the player-turned-coach has witnessed a number of promising leads on the stadium front. With each key victory inevitably came a frustrating setback.

As fourth-seeded D.C. United faces the fifth-seeded Montreal Impact in the Eastern Conference knockout round Thursday at RFK Stadium, there's reason to believe Ben Olsen's team fits the description of a dark horse threat.